Mirror
by Patricia Stewart
Summary: Just a short one-shot about the first Uchiha inheritor of Konoha's Will of Fire.


Mirror

**A/N: This one-shot basically centres around Uchiha Kagami, about whom hardly any stories have been penned down. I have named the story 'Mirror' so as to coincide with the meaning of the main character's name! Hope you enjoy! ^_^**

**DISCLAIMER: I wish I owned Naruto, but I don't, tragically.**

Uchiha Kagami was born to Uchiha Souta and Hina. His parents were hardcore members of the clan. His mother was his father's second cousin, as a matter of fact. Kagami was their only child, and given the typical strict upbringing that prevailed in the formidable clan. He rarely saw his father; Souta was more often than not on some mission or the other. As a comrade of Senju Hashirama himself, he kept very busy. So, in his formative years, Kagami was left in the care of his mother.

Hina was a temperamental and aggressive woman who was known for her headstrong ways. She was one of the rare Uchiha women who actually stood up to the males and challenged them on a daily basis. Blunt and sometimes irrepressible, she always spoke her mind and did what she believed was right. With her long black hair that went well beyond her elbows, slightly hollow cheeks and striking eyes, she had quite a few Uchiha males secretly afraid of her.

Naturally, the young Kagami was subject to her brash attentions. Hina was determined to raise 'a tough man with more than a pinprick of sense'. She pushed him to do his best at all times, even forbidding him his dinner if he did not perform a certain jutsu properly. Whenever Kagami completely failed to meet her expectations, she would pull out a sturdy cane and strike him on the back.

Kagami appeared more like his mother, unlike most Uchiha males, who look like their fathers. The little boy inherited his mother's ears, nose, chin and cheekbones, but most prominent of all, her curly hair.

At the newly-founded Ninja Academy, Kagami was a good student, but never the best. This drove his mother into fits. She was convinced she was failing at her job of being a good parent. Kagami became fast friends with Sarutobi Hiruzen, Hatake Sakumo and Shimura Danzo. They grew up together. Hiruzen was the son of Sarutobi Sasuke, the village hero who was hero-worshipped by children and adults alike. He, of all people, took a special liking to Kagami and took to advising and occasionally training him. Thus, Kagami became stronger and stronger until he attained the ranks of a top shinobi. He was noticed by Senju Tobirama, the younger brother of Hashirama, and soon was inducted into his special ranks, which consisted of five others: Akimichi Torifu, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu and his two early pals- Hiruzen and Danzo. However, the latter had changed considerably over the years. He became darker, more secretive. Kagami just shrugged it off as an effect of pressure, but he did not know, at that moment, that the man he considered one of his best mates would one day steal one of his son's eyes.

Souta and Hina were both proud of Kagami, though his mother did not display it. Day in and day out, he accomplished missions and worked tirelessly towards the betterment of Konoha. After Hashirama died in battle at a later point, Tobirama assumed the prestigious post of Hokage. He assigned the Uchiha a special precinct of the village as well as the Konoha Military Police Force, the leadership of which went into the hands of Taiga, the Head of the Clan. He would later pass it on to Fugaku, his eldest son.

Kagami's mother began to cajole him into marriage to continue the family line, but he was least bothered. He held his work in extremely high regard and did not wish for any distractions. He was completely devoted and dedicated to his village.

But, Hina did not cease her constant nagging. That, combined with the First Shinobi World War, the shock he had received from the recent suicide of Sakumo and the already heavy burden of all his duties and work, caused Kagami to seek pleasure, which he found in a club on the outskirts of Konoha with a girl much younger than him whose name he didn't even know or bother to know. All he needed was to clear his mind.

The next morning, he reported punctually at the Hokage Tower, the events of the previous night way behind at the back of his mind. Hiruzen had been appointed the new Hokage, a position Kagami thought was well-deserved. He harboured no jealousy for his friend, though he could not say the same about Danzo. Kagami carried on with his life as per normal and no one was led to suspect a thing. As days passed, that night delved deeper and deeper into the shadows. Months later, it was like a forgotten dream to Kagami. That is, until he woke up one day to find an infant swaddled in sheets at his doorstep. Dread pooled within Kagami. He picked it up and inspected it closely. There was no doubt about it.

Kagami's hard training and experience had rendered him to possess nerves of steel. He first thought of disposing the baby off. No one would know. The mother would obviously keep quiet, as her reputation would be besmirched by such a happening, especially with an Uchiha. But then, he looked into the child's eyes. They were so lively, so happy, so...compassionate!

Kagami decided to keep him. It was a boy, as he discovered not much later. But, that put him in a dilemma. What would he do next? Thus, Kagami sought out the guidance of Souta, who was not in the least abashed by his son's behaviour. He asked him to take the infant to Taiga, who told Kagami that he could continue to keep the child if he so wished. The story was covered up with some drivel about a distant cousin, which the entire clan seemed to gobble down.

The question prevailed of what to name Kagami's child. He chose 'Shisui' [meaning 'still water'] as the infant's demeanour was like so- very tranquil and placid. He took it upon himself to make Shisui not only a remarkable addition to the Uchiha clan, but also a shinobi greatly dedicated to Konoha and the Fire Country.

Hina, from whom the secret was carefully hidden, was surprisingly gentle with Shisui. She treated him like the apple of her eye. Kagami began training his son every day. What he noticed with barely concealed delight was that the little one was unusually quick in his movements. Also, he seemed to be considerably more cheery and playful than the other Uchiha kids. At the Academy, Shisui excelled, especially at genjutsu. Before attaining the age of five, he was casting strong illusions that easily confused even grownup Uchiha. His teachers were fawning over this skill of his and the speed that seemed to come naturally to him.

In the Uchiha clan, there is a tradition that a boy should be given a katana on his fifth birthday. Kagami broke it, though, by gifting Shisui a tantō because he thought the boy's grip was more suited for the latter. Though Souta was visibly bemused, he did not utter a word of protest. Hina, on the other hand, ranted and raved about this 'breakage of ancient custom', she relented when she saw how adept little Shisui was at the weapon. He swung, slashed and stabbed it with such ease that one could actually be led to believe that it was a body part of his. Kagami made a sort of harness for Shisui's tantō, which the boy wore over his back.

A month or so later, Uchiha Fugaku welcomed his first son. It was a baby boy, who was named 'Itachi' by his parents. He displayed every sign of being a prodigy. Elderly Uchiha commented that he would one day surely raise the standard of the clan. Shisui took to the baby within no time, playing with it and telling it a wide assortment of stories. Itachi too was at his most joyous when his older cousin was around.

Shisui graduated out of the Academy at eight, by when he had invented a technique of his own, the Body Flicker Technique. It enabled him to teleport and move with feasibility. Kagami's heart filled with pride as he watched his son rise from genin to chuunin to jounin and to finally ANBU at thirteen. By then, Itachi was eight and already a chuunin. Three years earlier, he had gained a younger brother named Sasuke, who he absolutely doted over. Sasuke, in turn, hero-worshipped Itachi. Their relationship almost made Kagami regret that he had not given Shisui a sibling.

Years passed. Shisui had now earned quite a reputation, as also the title of Shunshin no Shisui, meaning 'Shisui of the Body Flicker'. He was now also being hailed as the best genjutsu user in the clan, followed closely by Itachi, who managed to astound everyone with his exceptional talent and power.

It was barely two or three weeks past Shisui's seventeenth birthday when Kagami noticed that there was a Medic at the Hospital who had caught his son's sight. Her name was Inuzuka Namiko and she was good at her job. Kagami entreated his son to invite her over for tea sometime. And, it took him but two minutes to understand why Shisui liked her. While she was certainly not a diamond of the first water when it came to looks, Namiko had a merry smile and warm eyes, not to mention a sweet-natured personality. She would be fine, Kagami decided. Apparently, she had healed him once after he had returned from a mission and that had been enough for Shisui to set his sights upon her.

Shisui and Namiko formed a pair that made the female population of Konoha [excluding a few odd ones like Hina] make gooey eyes and say, "Aww..." Shisui wasn't very often in Konoha, owing to his high post in the ANBU and therefore, very busy schedule. But whenever they were together, they held hands and talked to each other like lovebirds. Their puppy love, however, encountered an obstacle when Shisui was asked to mark Itachi completely, as the Heir had started behaving 'oddly' after joining the ANBU. This gave Shisui no time to spend with Namiko. He did, albeit, write to her and she wrote back. This continued until one evening in summer, it was announced that Shisui had committed suicide by drowning himself in the Naka river. In his note, he wrote that he was tired of carrying out the clan's trying duties and was therefore giving up on his life.

There was an immediate furore at this. Namiko was devastated, as were Souta and Hina. All three of them were questioned, but knew nothing. Itachi, on the other hand, remained impassive and continued his duties and work. When he was accused by the Military Police Force of murdering his cousin and forging his suicide note with his Sharingan, Itachi simply denied having anything to do with the killing of Shisui.

As for Kagami, well, words cannot truly capture the sorrow and grief he went through. He had lost his only son, his legacy. He refused to touch food for three whole days. He spent that time period at the Memorial Stone, just staring at his son's name inscribed upon it, occasionally running his hand over the inscription.

On the third day, he saw a woman approaching the Stone. She was walking with a limp. Her body was impossibly thin and skin was extremely pale. Kagami, feeling honour-bound to help her out, rose and went to her, extending his arm for her to hold on to. Instead of accepting it, the woman looked him directly in the face and smiled. Kagami was paralysed with shock. It all came back to him. This was the woman...she had given birth to Shisui! She was his mother!

But, so much had changed about her. The once lustrous and bouncy hair now hung around her thin shoulders, lank and wispy. The striking emerald eyes had now become dull and blank tunnels of green. Her then-smooth face had wrinkles and spots here and there. But as she stood there, with the last rays of the sun colouring the sky a pinkish-orange hue, she appeared every bit the beauty he had seen nearly twenty years ago. At that moment, at that second, Kagami felt a silly strong urge to kiss her.

"I set out to Konoha at once when I heard the news." Her voice came out like a croak.

"Where have you been?" Kagami's own voice broke in three places.

"Oh, after Shisui came along, I fell seriously ill. So, I had to send him to you. I was admitted into a hospice about fifty miles from Konoha by a few friends of mine. I still have not recovered completely, as you can very well see, but I just had to visit the Stone once." At this, a tear trickled down her papery left cheek. Kagami found his eyes were moist too.

"Did you keep track of him all this while?" He asked weakly.

"Yes, my sister works in Konoha. She updates me regularly through letters," she answered.

"He's gone," Kagami blurted out, at a loss for what to say.

Shisui's mother silently stepped forward without Kagami's aid and fished out a bouquet of poppies from the folds of her dress. She placed it on the Memorial Stone and bowed low, murmuring, "May you find eternal rest, my son. I love you and will always love you." With that, she stepped away and turned to look back at Kagami.

"Did you tell him?"

"No." Kagami's voice was curt. "I didn't want him to know."

"Yes, he would be ashamed, wouldn't he?"

"And sad. Don't forget that."

"Yes, yes, of course."

A few minutes passed, during which silence reigned over the couple. Finally, the woman turned to Kagami with a soft, "I should get going now."

"No! Wait!" Kagami was himself surprised at how desperate he sounded. "Don't leave!"

"What do you mean, brave Uchiha?"

"Stay here; in Konoha, I mean. Stay with me! I'll provide you with everything you need! We'll even get you cured!"

"You and I both know that is not possible. Questions will be asked. You will be forced to answer. Your name and reputation will go down the drain. Your clan will ostracise you. I do not want that to happen."

"I can hide you!" Kagami persisted, his voice ringing with passion.

She laughed. It was a flat, gravelly sound. "No, I do not want to live in Konoha. There is too much of risk here. I will be nothing but an imposition. Allow me to return to where I came from."

"Listen to me..."

"Please. Don't stop me."

Kagami looked at the woman in front of him. "Let me drop you off to this hospice," he offered.

"No, do not take that trouble for my sake. I am a fallen woman. You are a mighty member of one of the most prestigious clans of the village. Kagami-san, you are an Uchiha. There is a world of difference between you and me."

Kagami was stumped. He did not know what to say to the woman, so he contended himself with a gruff "Drop the honorific." He knew that what the woman had said was perfectly right.

"Kagami, the only reason I came was to visit my son. I have done that now. Leave me be. I want to go away from Konoha. I want to go away from _you_!"

These words struck Kagami harder than a whip lash. "Alright then," he said fiercely. "Go and wait for your death in some forsaken hospice!"

"Thank you, Kagami." Her tone contained a note of relief, but it was mingled with sadness. She turned on her heel and proceeded away from the Stone.

"At least let me know your name!" Kagami called.

Without turning around, she replied, "That will only make you pine more, Kagami. I shall not disclose that bit of information to you." Without warning, she turned back and gave a large smile. This one reached all the way up to her eyes, which seemed to light up. Kagami suspected he noticed a shadow of her old self on her visage at that second. Then, just like that, she limped away from his life, never to enter it again.

It was late when Kagami finally reached the Uchiha Sector. He observed that the atmosphere was strangely silent, but did not give much thought to that fact. He was busy mulling over the events of the evening in his head. His full attention was finally aroused when he saw at least fifty Uchiha corpses strewn on the Principal Lane. Kagami, highly alarmed, drew his katana and moved towards his home, trying to calm his erratic heartbeat. He flinched when he saw the bodies of his oldest Uchiha mates, but regained his composure within a moment. He had to stay alert. Inhaling deeply, he moved forth.

The streetlamp outside his abode was flickering. Kagami pushed the gate open, and stopped short. Long years of being the Nidaime's subordinate had made him notoriously alert. And, he could detect a strong presence in his yard. A verystrong presence. A very strong _Uchiha _presence. The lamp outside flickered, its yellow light falling upon a metallic object.

"I know you're there," Kagami hissed. "Don't hide. Come out of the shadows!"

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, with the sounds of leaves rustling and gravel crunching, Uchiha Itachi emerged into the light, his newly acquired Mangekyō Sharingan flashing.

"You are an admirable shinobi, Kagami-san," Itachi said.

"What is it? Get to the point," Kagami growled, turning on his Sharingan. He had always been fond of Itachi, but now that it was evident who had been responsible for the massacre he had just witnessed, he harboured no soft feelings for the Heir in his heart.

"I look up to you," Itachi continued.

"This is unlike you, Itachi," Kagami breathed. "But then again, what you have done outside is as well!"

"Kagami-san, I..."

"You've annihilated our clan!" Kagami yelled. Whatever barrier that held his teeming emotion broke. The anger and repugnance he felt towards Itachi combined with the grief the mother of his son had so generously provided him with caused him to almost lode his mental balance.

"The clan..."

"Is our family!" Kagami screeched, completing Itachi's sentence. "It's our family, and you've killed them all! You've murdered them!"

"Please..."

But Kagami was far beyond the point where he could check his tongue and stem this tirade. "Our family is the only thing we have in the end! Have you ever thought about its value? Have you, eh? Have you ever? Damn it, you bloody criminal, HAVE YOU EVER?"

Itachi's face remained calm and collected, but his eyes betrayed immense grief.

"Have you ever had anyone walk out on you? Has anyone who you deeply love ever died? Obviously not, because you did off with them, didn't you?"

"I..."

"I know you intend to kill me! Then go ahead! By all means, go ahead. But remember, I will defend you with everything I have- every ounce of power left in my being. Face my wrath, Uchiha Itachi!"

The lamp outside went out completely, and the battle began. Blades struck each other, fists collided with limbs and techniques of the highest order were used. Through the nearly total darkness, the fighters could only make out the swirling Sharingan of the other. Finally, after thirty long minutes, Kagami lay on the ground, blood spilling out from the various wounds on his body. He as well as his adversary knew that he was very close to death.

Itachi stood by his side, his eyes glowing with...was it respect? "As I said before, Kagami-san, I admire you," he said.

Kagami had finally regained possession of his faculties. Gasping and spluttering on blood, he coughed, "Why, Itachi? Why did you do this?"

"That, Kagami-san, I am afraid I cannot disclose to you."

This sounded so much like something someone else had told him so recently that Kagami nearly stood up again.

"Then at least tell me why you took Shisui's life. Was he not your best friend?"

Itachi looked pained. "Spit it out," prodded Kagami. "I am going to die very soon anyway. He was my son. I deserve to know what happened before I leave this world."

The Heir got onto his haunches and began, "Shisui committed suicide."

"Tell me the truth. I want to die in peace."

Itachi sighed, "Shisui attempted to reason with Danzo, but lost one of his eyes in the process. He entrusted his other eye to me, for he feared that Danzo would try to snatch that one away from him too, wrote a suicide note and jumped into the Naka. I am not lying, Kagami-san. I swear."

Kagami stared at the boy through his half-closed eyes. Finally, his mind was clear of any suspicions after assessing Itachi's honesty. Kagami turned his gaze towards the velvety sky and the stars that pricked it. His vision was starting to blur. In a few short minutes, he would be gone. In his mind, he went over all the good people he had known in his lifetime and thanked Kami for them. One by one, the cords that tied him to the earth were being severed. Moments later, Kagami took a deep breath in. His eyes fluttered close. It was the end of not only a great shinobi, but also an understanding father and a large-hearted man.

**A/N: So, how did you like it? Please please please please please review/PM! There is nothing I appreciate more than sound feedback! Thank you for taking the time to read this! A bientot!**


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